1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ground effect vehicles and, more particularly, to a ram wing vehicle that derives lift from an aerodynamic lifting body.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Vehicles that are totally or partially supported by air and referred to as ground effect and air cushion vehicles are known in the art. Representative patents in this technology are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,173 issued Aug. 25, 1992 to Lay entitles PRESSURE-JET AND DUCTED FAN HYBRID ELECTRIC CAR discloses a hybrid electric vehicle capable of ground travel and air travel. The vehicle provides for movement over the ground by wheel motors mounted at each of four ground engaging wheels. The wheel motors are supplied with electric power by a battery pack or an electric generator powered by a combustion engine. The combustion engine is also geared to vertically oriented ducted fans and a horizontally oriented ducted fan or propeller for providing the vehicle with the capability of travel through the air. Pressure jets, supplied with compressed air from a compressor driven by the combustion engine, augment the lift of the ducted fans and provide steering for the vehicle. The vehicle can also be provided with photo-electric cells for supplying a portion of the electric power for the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,893 issued to Mantle on May 1, 1979 entitled WING IN GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE describes a wing in ground effect vehicle, the body of which is a low aspect ratio airfoil. Soft end plates allow for proper sealing of pressure below the wing while preventing the transmittal of wave action forces to the vehicle. Fin rudders and a dorsal fin provide turning control. Afflux from the propulsor engines can be split to flow both over and under the wing so that the vehicle will be capable of both rapid movement and hover over both land and water and the ability to jump out of ground effect mode to avoid obstacles appearing in its flight path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,986 issued Feb. 6, 1979 to Schirtzinger entitled CAPTURED AIR BUBBLE ARCTIC VEHICLE WITH ICE CUTTERS discloses a vehicle for the rapid transport of goods, machinery, and personnel over ice, snow and frozen ground surfaces that is supported partially while at rest and/or under way by a cushion of air which is entrained by a system of seals. Seals along the sides terminate in runners for guiding and partially supporting the vehicles. The vehicle may be self-propelled or towed. Through the use of the air cushion, frictional resistance to movement is substantially reduced, requiring correspondingly less motive power or towing force. Also the load of the vehicle is distributed over a larger area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,893 issued Jan. 22, 1974 to Joyce, Jr. et al. entitled AIR CUSHION VEHICLE WITH SELECTIVELY OPERABLE SURFACE TRACTION MEANS discloses an air cushion vehicle including a rigid body extended along a longitudinal axis thereof, and means for producing an air cushion thereunder; at least two wheels equipped with inflatable tires, the wheels depending downwardly from the rigid body and each wheel being on an opposite side of and laterally spaced from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; and the wheels being located in the central third portion longitudinally of the vehicle. Means are provided for causing the wheels to selectively engage the surface underneath the vehicle and means for driving the wheels independently in the same direction or in opposite directions, and at the same speed or at different speeds. Also, means are provided for selectively braking the wheels, whereby to assist in propulsion of the vehicle on inclined surfaces, and in the steering of the vehicle during maneuverings over ground or water surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,522 issued May 14, 1974 to Morgan et al. entitled AIR-CUSHION SUPPORTED VEHICLES describes a ground effect vehicle or hovercraft that has a main power plant or prime mover driving pumps from which hydrostatic circuits transmit power to individual hydraulic motors coupled, respectively, to the fan supplying air to the supporting ground cushion and to the drive propellers and other auxiliary facilities. The prime mover and principal mechanical components, as well as the control cabin of the vehicle, are built into a powered module that can be docked or mounted on any one of a number of platforms, which platforms are purpose-built for the functions the total vehicle is to perform and are provided with detachable skirts to retain the supporting air cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,887 issued Jan. 16, 1973 to Van Veldhuizen entitled AIR CUSHION VEHICLE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT WHEELS INCLUDING CENTRIFUGAL FAN MEANS discloses a vehicle body including opposite side and end peripheral skirt portions which project at least slightly downwardly below a central underportion of the body in order to define a downwardly opening central chamber. Longitudinally spaced portions of the side walls of the body include horizontal openings formed therethrough adjacent the lower extremities of the side walls and opening into longitudinal air plenums defined within the side walls. The plenums open downwardly and inwardly into the opposite sides of the central chamber and axial intake driven blower wheels are supported within the air plenums in registry with the inner ends of the horizontal openings and are operative to draw ambient air into the air plenum chambers from the exterior of the body through the horizontal openings for subsequent discharge downwardly and inwardly into the central chamber, whereby a vehicle supporting air cushion is formed in the central chamber. The blower wheels include peripheral load supporting tread portions and are vertically shiftable between upper and lower positions spaced above and lowered into rolling contact with a vehicle body supporting surface disposed beneath the vehicle body and along which the body is to be moved.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,118 issued Jun. 22, 1971 to Bertin entitled GROUND-EFFECT MACHINES HAVING IMPROVED GUIDING AND PROPELLING MEANS discloses a ground effect machine borne on the ground in part by one or more pressure fluid cushions an in part by one or more wheels for guiding and driving said machine, the degree of ground engagement of said wheel or wheels being controllable by means of jacks, thereby to adjust the weight proportion of said machine shared by said cushions and said wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,968 issued Dec. 22, 1970 to Aronson entitled AIR SUPPORTED ELECTRIC VEHICLE discloses a vehicle which is supported by propelling members which propel the vehicle along the face of the earth and includes air directing means which serves to decrease the weight which the propelling means support. In one embodiment, fan blades are rotated to pull streams of air through a number of holes in the housing of a wheeled vehicle and into an area between two concentric, cylindrical, flexible skirts to form a cushion which partially supports the weight of the vehicle. A movable plate can be rotated or moved to alter the amount of air flowing through the holes. The fan blades may be driven through gears from a small wheel which contacts the ground. Coils may be wound on the blades and magnets disposed about the path of the blades so that currents are induced in the coils which can be rectified are used to recharge the batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,713 issued Aug. 27, 1958 to Hall entitled TRACTIVE AIR CUSHION VEHICLE discloses an air cushion amphibious vehicle capable of both air-borne and overland travel, including fore and aft large inflatable rollers which support the vehicle for overland operation and are deflatable and retractable for water borne operation. During airborne operation, the surfaces of the rollers receive air under superatmospheric pressure from an air chamber, which exhausts through a levitation jet channel formed between a respective roller surface and a portion of the vehicle body. The rollers are rotated in a direction to direct at least a portion of the air in the levitation jet channel underneath the vehicle in the air cushion region to maintain a vortex of air around at least a portion of each roller surface when the vehicle is supported on the cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,223 issued May 30, 1967 to Bertelsen entitled GROUND EFFECT MACHINES discloses a ground effect machine that can hover at low speeds as well as operate at high speeds. The craft is substantially a biplane construction, however, one modification shows a ducted structure which is in effect a relatively thick cord monoplane and having boundary layer control for further augmenting aerodynamic lift.
The ground effect machine has a feature of so controlling the aerodynamic and aerostatic forces that the center of lift and the center of gravity of the craft remain substantially in vertical alignment for both low and high speed operation thereof. The draft comprises movable parts which change the effective plan area acted on by static pressure to cause the area to have a center of static pressure substantially in registry with the center of lift of the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,528 issued Oct. 4, 1966 to Tuchnott et al. entitled GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE WITH APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL TORQUE STEERING MEANS discloses a gaseous jet thrust supported vehicle comprising in combination: a vehicle body, road wheels journalled on said body and supporting the same on the ground, a prime mover, a plurality of ducted fans mounted along the front edge, the rear edge and the lateral edges of said body and capable of being geared to said prime mover, in operation producing an outer and inner jet cushion enclosing at least one ground effect in cushion of substantially rectangular plan form and having a substantially vertically momentum thrust of a magnitude less than a weight of the vehicle but exceeding the magnitude required for statically hovering at a steady hovering height and propulsion means capable of being geared to said prime mover, in operation imparting a substantially horizontal thrust to the vehicle, said combination of vertical and horizontal thrust generating means enabling the vehicle to leap over obstacles of predetermined length and height, but not to sustain free flight above said steady hovering height.
It was in light of the foregoing that the present invention was conceived and has now been reduced to practice.